Hot Topics:

Broncos offense always improving

Manning feels unit is work in progress despite 12-3 record

By Jeff Legwold The Denver Post

Posted:
12/25/2012 08:42:21 PM MST

Updated:
12/25/2012 08:43:07 PM MST

ENGLEWOOD -- With each passing game, with each touchdown tossed on to the growing pile, folks keep asking Peyton Manning about chemistry, about how things have been mixed and matched in the Broncos' offense and how it compares to Manning's seasons with the Colts.

Manning keeps using words such as "new" and "time," offering that it's all a work in progress even as Denver has roared to a 10-game winning streak in which the Broncos have scored at least 30 points eight times.

"It's just his perspective," said Broncos wide receiver Brandon Stokley, who played four seasons with the Colts. "He's played a lot of games and seen a lot of defenses. What he did over 13, 14 years with the Colts, that's a lot of experiences. We're getting all of those experiences, but we're still in the first year here together."

Manning said the Broncos have shown an increased ability to pick up the pace on offense and more ability to veer from the game plan if needed. Practice time is limited during the NFL workweek and teams tailor their playbook for each opponent.

They select the best items for that particular game and work on those in what essentially is three full days of practice. That's the difference between playbook and game plan.

Once the game begins, adjustments need to be made. Manning and the Denver offensive staff will have to use things they may not have practiced all that much.

"It's something we're growing to, but it takes years in some ways," Manning said.

Advertisement

"In Indy, we could draw on something from five years ago. (Wide receiver) Marvin (Harrison) was so unique, we could sit on the sideline and say, 'Hey, Marvin, you remember when we played Buffalo in '99 -- and this is like 2005 -- and he'd say, 'Yeah, remember how they played us?' And we'd go from there.

"There were times he'd go in motion and we'd change (the play) when he went by me. We're working as hard as we can (with the Broncos). Everybody has had great work ethic and we're growingin that. Our offense is new, so the defenses we're playing are new. We just don't have all the information yet. We're still working through how teams play us, how we need to play them."

Opposing defensive coaches say they see the progress and openly wonder what things will look like for the Broncos' offense in 2013 and beyond. The bottom line, many of them say, is the Denver offense in the playoffs won't be the Denver offense in the first five weeks of the season, when the Broncos were 2-3.

"It's kind of my broken record sometimes, but the more you do something, the better you get at it," said Broncos coach John Fox, who added that Manning has "gotten better every week from his first week here. And the offense has gotten better. We're going to be able to do more things as we move along here."

The Broncos have increased the speed at which they run their no-huddle offense nearly every week. Manning got the offense lined up fast enough to catch the Buccaneers twice for 12-men-on-the-field penalties when Tampa Bay played Dec. 2 in Denver.

The Broncos have had at least 75 plays in each of their last three games. They reached that total only twice in their first 12 games.

"The key is how fast you're going," Manning said. "Some teams go no-huddle, but it's simply not huddling, it's not really fast paced. I think you want to constantly look at that. The faster we go, the better we can be.

"And the more we see how people play us, how they defend us in certain situations, how they react to things we do, the better it will be, the better we can prepare for how we want to handle things. I know people keep asking if it's where we want to be, but we're really all working together, myself included, to learn how we're going to do things."

Boulder is pretty good at producing rock bands, and by "rock," we mean the in-your-face, guitar-heavy, leather-clad variety — you know, the good kind. For a prime example, look no farther than BANDITS. Full Story